Feeding mechanism



y 1935c M. Q JQNES 5 m 9 3 FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 1;. 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l HM ,mlllllmll mu m N lNVENTOR- W a BY Twang Filed Oct.

11. 1930 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 VENTOR ATTORNE Jan. 10, 1933. M. o. JONES ET AL 1,394,044

FEEDING MECHANI SM Filed 001:. ll. 1930 -4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Jan. 10, 1933. M. o. JONES ET AL 1,894,044

FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 11. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 NVENT 5' ATTOPNE s Patented Jan. 10, 1.933

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MONTGOMERY 0. JONES AND WESLEY IP. SHOMAKER, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

FEEDING MECHANISM Application filed October 11, 1930. Serial No. 487,932.

plication, Serial No. 319.818, filed November This application discloses an endless row.

of magazines from which envelopes previm ously printed on one side are withdrawn and delivered to the printing roll of a printing press for printing the reverse side. By means of this machine; successive groups of generally similar envelopes are produced. This apparatus is intended primarily for the production of envelopes for use in makin .periodic contributions to the support of a dhurch, Sunday school or other organization. The envelopes are furnished to the 29 contributors in identical sets except for an identifying number. This number, together with the name of the church or other organ1- zation, its address, etc., is printed on one 7 face of each envelope together with the date upon which it is intended that the envelope shall be used, and on the other face of the envelope are printed hoinilies which are different on the different envelopes but the same homily is printed on corresponding envelopes of the sets. This permits of making use of homilies pertinent to the particular season of the year or to the particular day upon which it is intended that the envelope shall be used.

It is often desirable to interpose in the groups of envelopes certain envelopes for special occasions and on which it is undesirable to print the data of the organization. Heretofore it has been customary to insert these special envelopes by hand.

An object of the present invention is the provision of means for rendering the printing cylinder inoperative, as desired, thereby permitting special envelopes to be handled by the machine like other envelopes except that they are not printed, and be properly arranged in each group of envelopes when the same is discharged from the printing press.

Other objects, novel features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification and accompany ing drawings, wherein:

ig. l is a fragmentary plan view disclosing an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1

Fi 3 and 4 are views similar to Fig. 2 showing the parts in difi'erent positions;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on the line- 66 of Fig. 2.

As disclosed in detail in the above-referred to application of Jones, et a1. a plurality of vertical magazines 10 are carried by a chain 11 passing around sprocket wheels 12, one of the wheels 12 being driven at uniform speed by mechanism not shown. A suction block 13 reciprocates verticallyand removes the bottom envelope from each magazine in succession, and an oscillating picker 14 transfers the envelope from the suction block 13 to the table 15 from which it is pushed between the feed rollers 16 by fingers 17. All the above mechanism is disclosed in detail in applicants co-pending application above referred to and it is therefore thought unnecessary to describe it further in this application.

The rollers 16 feed the envelopes in succession between the printing cylinder 18 and the impression cylinder 19, thereby printing on the upper side of the envelope the data regarding the organization which is to make use of the envelopes. The impression cylinder 19 is mounted on a shaft 20 journalled in the frame of the printing press. The printing cylinder 18 is rotatably supported on hubs 21 carried by the sleeve 22. The

sleeve 22 is eccentrically supported on a shaft 23 which is journalled in the frame of the press. The printing and impression cylinders are provided with intermeshin gears 24 and 25 and the shaft 23 is provided with a driving gear 26. The gear 26 is caused to rotate at a predetermined speed by a gear (not shown) which comprises a portion of the general driving mechanism for the printmg press.

The sleeve 22 carries an arm 27 which is connected by a link- 28 with a segment 29 carried by a stud shaft 30 projecting from the bracket 31 which is attached to the frame of the press. An angle lever 32 has one end pivotally mounted on a stud 33 and is provided with a. roller 34 which contacts with a cam 35 mounted on the shaft 23. The free end of the lever 32 carries a pivoted pawl 36 which is adapted to project into a notch provided in the hardened insert 37 in the segment 29. The pawl 36 is provided with a roller 38 which normally engages the upper surface of a keeper 39 mounted on the shaft 30, thereby normally preventing the pawl from projecting into the notch.

The keeper 39 is rovided with an arm which is connected y linkage 40 with a sleeve 41 rotatably mounted on a stud 42 supported by the frame. The sleeve 41 is provided with an arm 43 which is adapted to be engaged by a pin 44 carried by the chain 11. A lever 45 is mounted on the shaft 30, the segment 29 being arranged between the lever 45 and the kee er 39, and the lever 45 being attached to t e keeper for simultaneous movement therewith. The link 28 carries a lug 46 which is normally engaged by a lug 47 carried by the lever 45 to prevent movement of the link 28 in one direction. A spring 48 tends to maintain the arm 27 in the posi tion shown in Fig. 2 and a spring 49 maintains the roller 34 in contact with the cam 35.

The pins 44 are removably carried by the chain 11 and provision is made for mounting a pin adjacent each magazine. The pin has a reces in its upper end into which projects a stud 50 carried by the chain. This stud is provided with one or more recesses 51 to receive a ball 52 carried in a socket in the pin, the ball being held in place by a spring 53. The pins are thus frictionally held on the studs and may be easily and quickly attached or detached. These pins are arranged as desired on the chain to trip the printing cylinder whenever an envelope is supplied thereto on which it is not desired to print the data of the organization.

In the operation of the machine, certain of the magazines contain envelopes which are not to be printed and pins are attached to the chain at proper places to render the printing cylinder inoperative when such envelopes are presented to it. Normally, envelopes are withdrawn from the magazines and passed between the impression and rinting cylinders with such cylinders in printing relationship to each other. At each rotaton of the shaft 23, the cam 35 causes oscillation of the lever 32, the ratchet 36 being held inoperative by engagement of the roller 38 with the keeper 39 (Fig. 2). However, upon engagement of a pin 44 with the arm 43, the keeper 39 is moved by the link 40 sufliciently to allow the pawl 36 to project into the notch, thereby causing rotation of the segment 29. At the same time, the lug 47 is moved out of the path of the lug 46. The sleeve 22 is thereupon rotated and the eccentric hubs 21 lift the printing cylinder away from the impression cylinder so that the envelope passing through is not printed (Fig. 3). As soon as the pin 44 clears the arm 33, the linkage is returned to normal position by the spring 40 thereby bringing the keeper again into operative position and returning the arm 27 to its normal position, (Fig. 4). The segment 29, link 28 and arm 27 are then returned to normal position by their springs and during this return the lug 46 rides over the lug 47, thereby slightly actuating the arm 45 and keeper 39, but not suiliciently to permit the pawl 36 again to drop into the notch. The pin 44 is supported adjacent a magazine prior to the one containing the envelopes which are not to be printed and is so located that the printing cylinder is tripped at the, time said envelopes are passed thereto.

The dating and numbering of the envelopes is effected by printing mechanism carried by the cylinder 54 between which and the impression cylinder 25 the envelopes pass after having passed between the printing cylinder and the impression cylinder. The dating and numbering cylinder remains in operative relation to the impression cylinder at all times and so both the regular and special envelopes are numbered and dated.

In a machine embodying the above described invention, the regular and special envelopes are handled alike except that the data of the organization is not printed on said envelopes. Each group of envelopes discharged from the machine contains the required number of special envelo es properly arranged so that it may be imme iately boxed and made ready for shi ment.

It is of course an erstood that various modifications may be made in the structure above described, without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In combination, a printin c linder, an impression cylinder, means including a plurality of magazines to feed envelopes or the like between said cylinders, and means actuated by said magazines for momentarily moving said cylinders apart.

2. In combination, a printing cylinder, an impression cylinder, an endless row of magazines, means for withdrawing envelopes or the like from successive magazines and feeding the same between said cylinders, and means actuated by said row of magazines for temporarily moving said cylinders apart.

3. In combination, a printing cylinder, an impression cylinder, an endless row of magazines, means for withdrawing envelopes from successive magazines and feeding them be tween said cylinders, means for temporarily moving said cylinders apart, and means carried by said row of magazines for actuating said last named means.

4. In combination, a printing cylinder, an impression cylinder, an endless row of magazines, means for withdrawing envelopes or the like from successive magazines and feeding the same between said cylinders, and means for temporarily moving said cylinders apart, said means comprising a ratchet member, a continuously oscillating pawl adapted to engage said ratchet member, a keeper normally maintaining said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet member, and means actuated by said row of magazines for temporarily rendering said keeper inoperative.

5. In combination, an impression cylinder, a shaft, a sleeve eccentrically mounted on said shaft, a printing cylinder mounted on said sleeve, means including a plurality of magazines for feeding envelopes or the like between said cylinders, and means actuated by said magazines to efiect oscillation of said sleeve.

6. In combination, an impression cylinder, a shaft, a sleeve eccentrically mounted on said shaft, a printing cylinder mounted on said sleeve, an endless row of magazines, means for effecting oscillation of said sleeve, and means carried by said row of magazines for actuating said last-named means.

7 In combination, an impression cylinder, a shaft, a sleeve eocentrically mounted on said shaft, an oscillatable ratchet member connected to said sleeve, a pawl actuated by said shaft and adapted to engage said ratchet member, a keeper normally maintaining said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet member, means including a plurality of magazines for feeding envelopes or the likebetween said cylinders, and means actuated by said magazines for temporarily rendering said keeper inoperative.

8. In combination, an impression cylinder, a shaft, a sleeve eccentrically mounted on said shaft, a printing cylinder mounted on said sleeve, an oscillatable ratchet member.

connected to said sleeve, a pawl oscillated by said shaft and adapted to engage said ratchet member, a keeper normally maintaining said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet member, an endless row of magazines, means for withdrawing envelopes or the like from successive magazines and feeding the same between said cylinders, and means actuated by said row of magazines for temporarily rendering said keeper inoperative.

9. In combination, an impression cylinder, a shaft, a sleeve eccentrically mounted on said shaft, a printing cylinder mounted on said sleeve, an oscillatable ratchet member connected to said sleeve, a pawl oscillated by said shaft and adapted to engage said ratchet member, a keeper normally maintaining said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet member, an endless row of magazines, means for withdrawing envelo or the like from successive magazines and ing the same between said cylinders, means for rendering said keeper inoperative, and means carried by said row of magazines for actuating said last-named means.

10. In combination, an impression cylinder, a shaft, a sleeve eccentrically mounted on said shaft, a printing cylinder mounted on said sleeve, an oscillatable ratchet member connected to said sleeve, a pawl oscillated by said shaft and adapted to enga e said ratchet member, a kee r norma y maintaining said pawl out o engagement with said ratchet member, an endless row of magazines, means for withdrawing envelopes or the like from successive magazines and feeding the same between said cylinders, means for rendering said keeper inoperative, means carried by said row of magazines for actuating said last named means, means for normally preventin movement of said oscillating member, sai last-named means being rendered inoperative simultaneously with said keeper.

11. In combination, an impression cylinder, a shaft, a sleeve eccentrically mounted on said shaft, a printing cylinder mounted on said sleeve, an oscillatable ratchet member, a link connecting said ratchet member and said sleeve, an oscillatable pawl adapted to engage said ratchet member, means comprising a cam on said shaft for oscillating said pawl, a keeper normally maintaining said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet, means movable with said keeper for normally preventing movement of said sleeve and ratchet member, means for feeding an envelope or the like between said cylinders, and means for moving said keeper and preventing means into inoperative position.

12. In combination, an impression cylinder, a shaft, a sleeve eccentrically mounted on said shaft, a printing cylinder mounted on said sleeve, an oscillatable ratchet member, a link connecting said ratchet member and said sleeve, an oscillatable pawl adapted toengage said ratchet member, means comprising a cam on said shaft for oscillating said pawl, a keeper normally maintaining said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet, means movable with said kee er for normally preventing movement of sai sleeve and ratchet member, an endless row of magazines, means for withdrawing an envelope her, a link connecting said ratchet member and said sleeve, an oscillatable pawl adapted ratchet, means movable with said kee or for normally preventing movement of sai sleeve and ratchet member, an endless row of magazines, means for withdrawing an envelope or the like from each magazine in succession and feeding the same between said cylinders, means for moving said keeper and preventing means into inoperative position, and means carried by said row of magazines for actuating said last-named means.

14. In combination, an impression cylinder, a shaft, a sleeve eccentrically mounted on said shaft, a printing cylinder mounted on said sleeve, an oscillatable ratchet memoer, a link connecting said ratchet member and said sleeve, an oscillatable pawl adapted to engage said ratchet member, means comprising a cam on said shaft for oscillating said pawl, a keeper normally maintaining said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet, means movable with said keeper for normally preventin movement of said sleeve and ratchet mem er, an endless row of magazines, means for withdrawing an envelope or the like from each magazine in succession and feeding the same between said cylinders, means for moving said keeper and preventing means into inoperative position, means carried by said row of magazines for actuating said last-named means, and means comprising a pin carried by said row of mgazines, and an arm extending into the path of said pin.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

MONTGOMERY O. JONES. WESLEY P. SHOMAKEB. 

